A Racist Joke

I got to Thursday of last week and hadn't settled on a topic for this week. I had a couple of ideas percolating in my head , but nothing was coming together. Late that afternoon I decided to take the dog for a walk to relieve his cabin fever, resulting from a cold rainy week.We took the long route that leads through the play ground of our neighborhood elementary school. School had been out for a couple of hours but a group of eight boys were gathered under the basketball hoops behind the school. They looked to be twelve or thirteen. Several were sitting on bikes, while others were standing there exchanging the usual school-boy B.S. as the dog and I passed. Then something happened that really shook me.

One of the boys just blurted out a racist joke to the group. I'm sure he paid no mind to me being there one way or the other, except that he might have noticed I'm white. But in a loud voice this kid told the following "joke", a term I use advisedly:  "what do you call a black guy having sex?" -- "rape!". It stopped me in my tracks. The following exchange then took place verbatim.

I turned to the kid, gave him my best stink-eye and asked "where did you hear that joke?" The kid was a little surprised I was addressing him and said, "what do you mean?" Then I said, "why would you tell a racist joke like that?" Now the kid is starting to squirm a bit and his friends were acting a little sheepish too, when the kid just said, "what's it to you?", feeling a little bravado I guess.  I said, "I'm just curious why you would be here on school grounds telling a hateful joke like that". The kid just stared at me, probably not knowing what to say- then one of the boys bounced a basketball as if to signal-we should go. Several others just turned away and the group began to slowly scatter and dissipate without further comment. I continued the stink-eye for a few seconds as the boys moved away -then continued on my walk with the dog. But I couldn't get that ugly joke, or the image of that kid out of my head.

As the dog and I made our way through the neighborhood I was feeling anger towards this young boy. He was old enough to know better than to repeat a terrible, racist joke. But as I thought more about it, I came to realize that it may not have been entirely his fault. It occurred to me the "joke" was so far out of bounds (and hateful) that somewhere along the way that kid heard the joke  (or ones like it) from an important adult in his life. I reasoned that exposure to racism somehow gave the kid permission to think it's still acceptable to have that level of racial insensitivity and animus. My feelings turned to pity for that kid instead of anger.

The experience also got me remembering that there was a time when I might have told that kind of joke. Growing up in the late 50's and early sixties racial jokes were more common. I can still recall my own father telling those kinds of jokes. So I tried not to be too judgemental about the kid at the school. But this is no longer the 60's. Racism should no longer be this common- this easily blurted out in public. But there is no denying that racism is alive and well. That kid just proved it to me again.

There were so many things wrong with what that boy said. Aside from being unbelievably un-clever and decidedly un-funny, it is simply an expression of hateful and untruthful stereotyping. It is the heart of bigotry. It says all black men are basically bad- that anything a "black guy " does is criminal- and they are not like us (white folk) by their nature. Thinking more about this incident, I began to reflect on how this might be an outgrowth of the racism that has come to the fore since we elected our first African American President. This monumental achievement is so worthy of praise, given that less than 150 years ago Barrack Obama would have (or could have) been a slave and not even human under our Constitution. Instead, many of our inborn prejudices have been aroused again and brought to the forefront of our conscienceness. In that context, that dumb-ass kid on the playground may just be a reflection of what lurks just below the surface for so many in our country.

I suppose I shouldn't have been so surprised to hear that "joke" wafting through the air on the playground. It is clear that racism is thriving, but it is also clear that we, as a nation, have gotten better at it. We have become more sophisticated and more subtle in how we talk the racist talk. We don't dare even utter the N-word. Even in condemning it, we never actually say the word- it is too explosive and offensive. 50 years ago that kid would have told the same joke, but substituted N-word for "black guy". But, it doesn't really change the meaning, does it? The FBI reports that there are well over a thousand white supremacy groups in the US and the number is growing. Consider too, the subtle racism amongst our national "leaders" and it isn't hard to understand how our children reflect the racist tones carried on the subtle, "dog-whistle" phrases of the day.

The 'birther" movement is a good example. Obama was born in the U.S.- Hawaii has verified it, but even today this nonsense doesn't stop. It is another way to say-the black guy in the White House is not like us. Last week a Colorado congressman said just that; "I don't know where he was born, but he's just not an American." The idiot showman Trump made a run for the Presidency based on this racism- and is still touting this foolishness while fundraising for Romney right now. When Obama was in the fight for health care reform, Senator DeMint of South Carolina said they would use the issue "to break him". "Breaking him" is a term used in the old South describing the punishment of an unruly slave- much the way you "break" a mule or a horse. Later that year Rep. Wilson from South Carolina yelled "You Lie!" at the President during an address to a joint session of Congress- then raised funds on his despicable behavior. Wilson showed a level of disrespect unlike any President has ever experienced in that setting. The stereotype was evident- Black people are just liars! Wilson might as well have told the same joke the kid told. Clearly, what gave Wilson permission to act that way towards a sitting President of the United States is the same underlying racism that gave the kid permission on the schoolyard. Rush Limbaugh produced a parody song and repeatedly played it on his show: "Barack the Magic Negro". Not one Republican leader denounced this or countless other racist remarks that air daily on right-wing radio. It's no wonder a kid would tell that ugly joke.

Looking at the rhetoric that is sure to bubble up with greater intensity over the next months of the campaign, I hope we will be mindful to watch out for the increase in racially charged language that will most certainly infiltrate the campaign. Even now we are seeing the subtle language of racism we saw during the Republican primaries. Look at what Gingrich said about "inner city" (read Black) kids. He thought they should all be school janitors because they don't have role models at home with legitimate jobs. Or look at the position of the candidates on Hispanics- shameful stereotypes throughout. Mr. Romney is now saying the President "simply doesn't understand the economy". President Obama is a Harvard Law School grad and past President of the Harvard Law Review- the most prestigious and coveted position for any law student in the country. Yet we are supposed to believe he doesn't possess the intelligence to understand basic economics?  Is this part of the subtle stereotyping of intelligence, based on race? I don't know for sure- but I know that exaggerations, inaccuracies and lies are the tools of racism because they foster false stereotypes. And we are seeing these gross inaccuracies more everyday in our politics.

We have not resolved the issue of racism. I have long believed it is our most vexing social issue. But it is more than that. It is also a political and economic issue. Racial issues are part of our fabric as a nation, based on our history as a slave holding country; and that legacy has not been purged from our collective conscienceness yet. The work of overcoming racism is difficult and it is far from done. I was sad and sickened to hear the poison of that infection coming from a boy on the schoolyard. Responsible  adults have the absolute duty to confront this and remove it from our childrens' minds and our own. It is the only way to change our people and our country- lest we be destroyed by it.

Thanks for looking in.